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What was the process of industrialisation like around the Ter River, one of the axes of the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia? How did the landscape and human activity coexist? The Museu del Ter, or Museum of the Ter, which forms part of the Territorial System of the mNACTEC (Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia), was created in Manlleu in 2004 specifically to promote the industrial and natural heritage of the central basin of the river Ter.

The Museum of the Ter is based at Can Sanglas, a former cotton spinning factory, located in the last section of the industrial canal of Manlleu. It dates from 1841 and is one of the oldest examples of the factories that were set up on the banks of the canal to take advantage of the hydraulic power.

Thanks to the first of the permanent exhibitions, The River Factory, Can Sanglas looks back at its period of industrial activity. This exhibition highlights the historical aspects of the industrialisation process of the central section of the Ter: from manufacturing jobs to mechanisation. Several experimental machines help to understand how the process of transforming cotton thread has evolved historically.

During the tour we find ourselves in the two power rooms that Can Sanglas had in order to take advantage of the hydraulic energy: the Francis turbine, which allows one to see how electricity is generated; and the Fontaine turbine, one of the first hydraulic motors installed on the Ter.  You can even see how the mechanical system operated the spinning machines!
This first section of the route connects with the second of the permanent exhibitions, The Industrial Society, which explains all the social changes caused by industrialisation.

Finally, the exhibition The Mediterranean Rivers takes a journey through the landscapes, hydrology, ecology, the natural heritage, the socio-environmental aspects and the sustainable management of Mediterranean fluvial courses. And the Ter Museum also houses the Centre d’Estudis dels Rius Mediterranis (Centre for the Study of Mediterranean Rivers, CERM) dedicated to environmental education and awareness-raising.

The Museu del Suro (Cork Museum), situated in Palafrugell, interprets and promotes the heritage that surrounds the world of cork in Catalonia, both before and after the industrial revolution.

Beyond its importance from an industrial point of view (the manufacture of cork and corks was consolidated during the 19th century and had a major impact on the Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà regions), the museum highlights aspects such as the shaping of a landscape, a way of life and an identity around this product. The centre explains the process of both artisanal and industrial cork production, from the ecological environment, the bark of the cork,  transportation, manufacture of bottle corks and their marketing.

The former Can Mario factory, symbol of the power of the Catalan cork sector, is currently the headquarters of the Museum. With ashlar walls with brick decoration, enamelled ceramics and wrought iron, this modernista style building is home to the permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, the workshops and an auditorium with the capacity for a hundred people.

The town of Gerri, in the Pallars region, cannot be understood without reference to what had been its economic driving force since the Middle Ages, salt. The salt basins, historically the most important there has ever been in Catalonia, give a characteristic appearance to the town, which is completed with the Reial Alfolí (Royal Salt Storehouse) or House of Salt and the monastery of Santa Maria, one of the jewels of the Romanesque to be preserved in the Pyrenees.

The storehouse and the salt basins are the two basic structures used from the middle ages to extract and treat salt in Gerri. On one side of the Noguera Pallaresa river, between the river and the town, the salt basins are irregularly shaped structures, with walls made of differently sized stone and covered with mud. The water that comes from a salt water spring close to the village is fed along here. Once it reaches these basins, one only has to wait for the heat to evaporate the water (a process also known as "Ofita mining") and collect the salt deposited on flat surfaces of stone framed with wooden planks.

The alfolí, or storehouse, was where this precious substance was stored, a rectangular building with three levels that currently houses the exhibits explaining the whole of the industrial process. Located in Plaça Major in Gerri, this is the largest civil building in terms of floor space in the whole of the Pallars region.

Though salt production continued well into the 20th century, currently the alfolí and the salt basins allow the visitor to find out about the process of production, processing, storage and marketing of the white gold, salt.

The Farga Palau (Palace Forge) in Ripoll, first documented in 1626 and in operation until 1978, is a valuable testimony to one of our country’s historical industries: the Catalan forge. Located on the banks of the river Freser, you can see the restored structure which had remained in operation over the course of four centuries.

The forge occupies the ground floor where the water trompes (water-powered compressors), the trip hammers (unique in being made with metal bearings, an elm handle and steel mallet), the coal bunker, the kiln, where the ore is reduced, and the forge itself. The industrial part is completed outside with the water wheel, the channel and the pool. All of these are the essential elements of the Catalan forge or «Catalan process»; a type of forging that enabled the manufacturing of a high-quality product.

Ripoll was the metallurgical centre of Catalonia, thanks to the manufacture of the two most prestigious products of the Catalan forge: portable firearms and keys.

With the introduction of new industrial techniques, many iron forges became obsolete and, in order to survive, devoted themselves to working copper. This was the case with the Farga Palau, the only one in Catalonia which produced copper coins up until the second half of the 20th century. The forge closed definitively in 1978 and in 1997 it was incorporated into the Territorial System of the Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia (mNACTEC) as a separate section.

The natural annex of La Rambla, the Plaça Reial is one of the most emblematic squares in Barcelona. Built in the mid-19th century in order to spruce up the Gothic quarter, this is a clear, clean and open space constructed amid the high density of buildings in the old town of the city.

Francesc Daniel Molina led the architectural design project, inspired by the French neo-classical squares of the 17th century. The construction began in 1848 in a space formerly occupied by a Capuchin convent. The square is surrounded by a complex of identical buildings that are raised on semi-circular arches: above the arches, two main floors are framed by a giant order of Corinthian pilasters; the 4th and top floors are recessed, forming an attic floor, and are crowned by a cornice with balustrades.

The portals and façades are decorated with Hellenic terracotta, busts of navigators, coats of arms supported by Indian children and busts of explorers of the Americas, following the neoclassical style in an age in which Spain had already lost all its continental colonies. Behind the arches are shops, situated in a space that is protected thanks to the porches with Catalan vaults.

The centre of the square is dominated by the fountain of the Three Graces, a cast iron ensemble manufactured in the workshops of Durenne in Paris, surrounded by two street lamps with 6 arms, an early work of Antoni Gaudí. In the centre of the square and dotted about irregularly, there are the emblematic palm trees of different heights. And it is these that give the Plaça Reial its characteristic appearance.

Designed originally for the bourgeoisie of the time, the Plaça Reial has been, throughout its history, one of the epicentres of the Bohemian lowlife of Barcelona.

Some experts swear that it was called Aquis Voconis. Others say that it was called Aquae Calidae. Regardless, the fact is that the current Caldes de Malavella became an important thermal bath resort with the Romanisation in the 1st century AD. Located close to the Via Augusta, many travellers stopped here to relax and benefit from the healing properties of the hot water (which emerges at 60 ° C). The town grew up around it.

The remains of the ancient Roman baths have been preserved as a testimony to this time, the excavation of which began in 1897-1902. The complex is composed of a central pool surrounded by rooms given over to curative treatments. There are three spaces at the back, which may have been bath tubs, where oils were applied.

The site is very well preserved. The mechanisms that operated the water can be seen almost intact! During the excavations, objects have been found such as a dog made of bronze and coins from various periods, which can be seen in the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya-Girona (Girona branch of the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia).

The Romans soon realised the benefits of the hot water that flowed naturally into what is now Caldes de Montbui. Which is why they founded a spa resort here that, even today, remains an exceptional testament, with the baths located right in the heart of the town. They are the most well preserved in the Iberian Peninsula.
The restored section – where you can see a pool, 13.5 metres by 6.9 metres, made with opus signium and covered by a vault - is just one of the wings of the large thermal bathing facilities built in the Imperial era. The town of Aquae Calidae grew up around it (although there is controversy about whether this name refers to the current Caldes de Montbui or to Caldes de Malavella), which was a major power in the 1st century AD. The remains of villas have also been found, dotted around the outskirts.

After the Romans, the town of Caldes went into decline, although it remained populated into the Visigothic era. Thermal bathing was brought back in the 19th century, when Caldes de Montbui became the second spa resort in Spain.

Founded in 80-70 BC on a natural promontory, ancient Iluro (modern Mataró) was one of the most important Roman cities of the time, acting as an organisational centre for an extensive territory (almost the entire region of Maresme). Today, the majority of archaeological remains are preserved under the historic centre of Mataró and make up one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Catalonia.

The main documented remains of this city, which eventually extended over 6 hectares, include sections of the wall and parts of the forum, several public buildings, urban and suburban necropolises, streets, houses, a large cistern, the market, and sewers and conduits of this city which went on to have 6 hectares of extension. A small part of these ruins can currently be seen today at ground level, within different buildings and squares.

The importance of ancient Iluro is reflected in the presence of such prominent public buildings and in the fact of having a complex defensive system that was used until the 5th century AD. During the time of Emperor Augustus the city experienced its moment of splendour and obtained the legal status of municipum. The various domus of the city are also testament to this prosperous past: of these, the Villa of the Capuchins, Villa of the Dolphins and, in particular, the Lauder Tower, are the most notable.

The latter was located on the outskirts of the city, right next to the Via Augusta. The remains of the residential area (pars urbana), and the area reserved for agricultural production have been preserved here. As usual, the rooms of the manor house were arranged around the atrium or entrance hall, and in the central part there was the impluvium, an area used for water storage. Equipped with thermal baths, the villa, in a good state of conservation, is richly decorated in mosaics with geometric and plant motifs.

When the ‘clos de la Torre’ in Badalona was developed in 1954, an exceptional discovery was found: the remains of the baths of the Roman town of Baetulo in an excellent state of conservation. In order to preserve the remains, the Museum of Badalona was built over the top of them. It was opened in 1966.

Since its refurbishment in 2010, going down to the basement of the Museum of Badalona gives access to a 3,400 m2 site with the remains of the Roman city. In addition to the baths, the remains of the cardo maximus and the decumanus maximus (with the corresponding drains), various shops (tabernae) and three housing complexes (insulae) can be seen. This is one of the most important and well preserved archaeological sites from the Roman era in Catalonia.

The permanent exhibition of the Museum tells the story of the first settlements witnessed in Badalona - prehistoric, iron age and Iberian - but it is the exhibits relating to Baetulo which stand out, among which are the hinge-posts of the city gate, the Vas de les Naus (Ship Vase) and the portrait of Agrippina.

The collection features an epigraphic document of great value, the Tabula Hospitalis, a bronze tablet that records a hospitality agreement from 98 AD between the baetulonenses and Quintus Licinius Silvanus Granianus, governor of the city. Another jewel of the exhibition is the Venus of Badalona, one of the most important representations of the female form in Catalonia. These pieces were returned to Badalona in 1980, having been looted during the Civil War.

Apart from the main building, the Museum has various extension sites: the Roman archaeological sites of the Casa dels Dofins and the Garden of Quintus Licinius, the Turó d'en Boscà (a walled Iberian settlement), and the Can Miravitges estate (an 18th century agricultural manor house).

In 1882, when the Romanesque castle of Montcada in the old town of Vic was demolished, the remains of a Roman temple appeared among the ruins. This was the ancient Roman temple of Ausa which had been preserved in excellent condition. The building dates from the 2nd century, after the Roman conquest of Hispania. The reconstruction lasted for 77 years (1883-1959), but it is currently one of only two Roman temples throughout Spain to have been preserved practically complete.

The temple, built on a podium, consists of a cella (small chamber) and an atrium with 8 columns. Two of the walls of the cella were found almost intact. A capital, a section of the shaft of the column and the original fragments of the pediment were found amongst the rubble which allowed the exterior of the monument to be reconstructed.

The castle which occupied the temple area was built in 897 by Guifré el Pilós (Wilfred the Hairy) and, from the 11th century, was the property and residence of the Montcada family who reused the four walls of the temple to construct the castle’s central courtyard. Afterwards, the building was used as a residence of the veguer (feudal administrator), headquarters of the Royal Curia, the city’s granary and, finally, a prison and quarry. By the 19th century, it had lost its fortified appearance completely and had been converted into a rather forbidding mansion. Still preserved today are part of the vaults and walls of the north and west sections of the castle.